How to Write RPG Story Lines

Find your medium. Decide if you want to write a story for a traditional pen and paper RPG, such as Dungeons and Dragons, or if you prefer to take your story to the Internet. There are various message boards and chat rooms dedicated to role playing games, and if there is nothing there to suit your interests, it's always possible to create your own website and your own game. The medium chosen will affect the structure of your story. For instance, a RPG story designed for a chat room probably needs to allow for more improvisation and less planning than one designed for a pen and paper RPG, as players tend to distribute storytelling responsibilities more evenly in such a medium.

Gather information. To create a storyline, it's important to also create a comprehensive world for other players to explore. Design and plan maps for different regions, a history for the world, a list of the different races that inhabit the world, and information on how to play the game. Keep this information available to players for reference. Gathering information is somewhat easier if you're working off an already established game canon, like that for Vampire: The Masquerade. Creating all these materials from scratch will require more effort and research.

Keep in mind the players. Know how many people the RPG story is being created for and what types of characters they play. This will allow you to tailor your RPG story to fit the players present. Save sprawling campaigns for larger groups of players, and consider smaller, fast-paced sessions if only playing with two or three people. Use a specific character's history and class for plot ideas. For example, if there is a character who is a thief, have a seedy thieves guild approach him and offer him contract work. Perhaps there is a sorceress who finds herself being followed by someone from her dark past. Use your players for inspiration and help keep them engaged in the narrative.

Create the story. The story should be placed within the world designed for the RPG and follow all rules of the world. Unlike the narrative for a short story or novel, an RPG story plot should contain multiple options and incorporate several scenarios that players can follow, all of which may or may not be explored. Think of it as a choose your own adventure story, in which the decisions of the players affect the outcome at different intervals. There are several RPG story ideas that can be found on the Internet, including lists of common RPG cliches and random idea generators.

Maintain flexibility and improvisation. A RPG story is not a static narrative and participants are not passive readers. Players will sometimes make decisions that are unexpected, and end up throwing your carefully constructed plot in a completely new direction. Avoid forcing players into a specific direction. Give them flexibility in the structure of the story, as they are an integral part of creating the narrative. It also helps to have the ability to improvise and think quickly if your plans are thrown off. If you have difficulty improvising, create a sheet of ideas and keep it nearby during play.